Lewis and Elizabeth Bolton House · Photo: Jim Roberts · CC BY-SA 4.0Wardsville spent less per resident in 2022 than 81% of similar cities
Wardsville’s village government spent $151,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $96 per resident.
What stands out about how Wardsville is run
Read from the village’s budget and official records.
$96 per resident in 2022: less than 81% of them
Wardsville’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($96 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 356 Missouri cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $322, and the middle half spent $139–$618. Wardsville spent less than 81% of them.
Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Missouri cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Wardsville itself left out).
About $96 per resident a year, or $0.26 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 27%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Wardsville reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $2,306 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.70% of the home’s value, vs 0.85% across Missouri.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Wardsville’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.
Tax bills are one input to Wardsville’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Wardsville →
Who’s in charge in Wardsville
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time village employee for every 1,570 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (1,570).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Blair Oaks R-II School District
Wardsville’s K–12 school district, shared with St. Thomas, Taos. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $11,600 per pupil, $6,384 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
Missouri districts overall: 54% local, 35% state, 11% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Wardsville’s votes are counted by county
Missouri reports official results by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Wardsville alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Cole County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican66.5%26,686 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat32.1%12,874 votesOthers: 1.5% (592 votes).
Most votes in Cole County: Donald J Trump
Missouri: Trump 58.5%, Harris 40.1%
100% of Wardsville lies in Cole County. Every 2024 race in Cole County is on the county’s page.
Cole County’s 2024 results →Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Wardsville.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Missouri HouseState representatives
- 3Missouri SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Missouri
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Wardsville’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Wardsville’s government
How much does Wardsville spend per resident?
About $96 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $96 was less than 81% of 356 Missouri cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Wardsville?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,306 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.70% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.85% across Missouri. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the village’s assessor.
Who runs Wardsville’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Wardsville yet.
How did Wardsville vote in 2024?
Missouri counts votes by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Wardsville alone. Cole County, where 100% of Wardsville lies, voted Trump 66.5%, Harris 32.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Wardsville?
1 full-time and 4 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $4,849 (about $58,188 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Wardsville in the state legislature?
State Senate District 6 (Mike Bernskoetter) and State House District 59 (Rudy Veit). The House district also covers seven other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Wardsville’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →